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, 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. O. NICHOLSON ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

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- No. 275,255. --Pa,tented Apr. 3,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. H. G. NICHOLSON.

ELEGTRIQRAILWAY SIGNAL.

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H. O. NICHOLSON. ELEGTRIORAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 275,255. Patented Apr. 3, 1883.

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N PETERS. PholoLIlhugnpMn wmm no UNITED STATES PATENT FFICEQ HENRY G. NICHOLSON, OF MOUNT \VAS HINGTON, OHIO.

ELECTRIC RAI LWAY-SlGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,255, dated April 3, 1883.

Application filed January 31, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HENRY G. NIcHoLsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Washington, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railway-Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of electrical signals disposed in so-called blocks along a railroad, in which the signaling-circuits are brought into action, either directly or indirectly, by the trucks of a passing locomotive or train, rails of the track constituting a part of the circuits, main or secondary, as the case may be.

One object of my invention is to so organize the circuits that the signals at both ends of a block may be synchronously operated by a make and break in the electrical connections efiected by a locomotive or train on entering a block and again on passing out ot' it, so that but a short section of the track requires to be insulated at each signal-station.

Another object of my invention is to so organize the circuits and signals that each block may contain one or more signals intermediate between the signals at its ends, and that all the signals in the block will be operated synchronously each time a locomotive or train passes any one of the signal-stations thereof, so that the position of such locomotive or train at any one station or between any two stations of such block will be indicated at all the stations thereof.

Another object of my invention is to so combine the rails of the track with the other permanent electrical conductors that a hand-car maypass' along the track without operating the signals.

W'ith these objects in view my invention consists of certain combinations of electric signaling-circuits with the rails of a railroad-track also, of a step-by-step signal, all as specifically pointed out in the claims at the close of this specification.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have illustrated in the annexed drawings, and will proceed to describe some practical forms of signaling-circuits embody ingit, and also one form of a step-by-step nal which may be used in connection therewith.

Figure l is a diagram of a simple form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar diagram, but (littering from Fig.1, in that it shows a provision for allowing the passage of hand-cars without eflect on the signals. Fig.3 is a diagram of the preferred form of my invention as embodied in a block with a signal at each end only. Fig.

4 is a diagram of one form of my invention as embodied in a block containing signal-stations intermediate between the two end stations. Fig. 5 is a sectional front elevation of the step by-step signal. Fig. dis a plan view of said signal. Fig. 7 illustrates means for holding the door of the signal-case locked until the motor has been wound up.

The same letters of reference indicate identi cal parts in all the figures.

In all the diagrams, A refers to the rails of one side, and A to the rails of the other side, of the track of a railway.

In Fig. 1 the signal-block consists of an elec tric circuit containing asignal at each end, the signals being marked B and B, respectively, and organized to operate with a step-by-step movement in such manner that one'establishment and withdrawal ofan electric current will effect the display of either the danger-disks or the safety-disks, as the case may be. One form ofsuch signal will be hereinafter describe'd,but other forms may be used. The line-wire l of the signaling-circuit is stretched from the positive pole of a battery, M B, at one end of the block to the positive pole of a battery, M B, of equal strength, at the other end, the negative pole of each batterybcin g connected to earth. Near one end, and preferably at a point between the battery M B and the signal B, the line is connected by a wire, 2, to an insulated section, a, of the rails A of the track. At the other end the line is similarly connected by a wire, 3, to an insulated section, a, of the rails A of the track. The rails A are, at points opposite the respective insulated railsections, connected to earth by wires 4 and 5. The insulated rail-sections are of such length that they cannot be bridged by any two adjacent trucks of a locomotive or train, so that when a connection has once been made between the wires 2 and elor 3 and 5 by theiirst truck of a passing locomotive or train such connection will not be broken until the last truck thereof passes from the insulated railsection. Should there be ajoint in the insulated rail-sections or in the rails opposite, I prefer to connect the adjacent ends of the rails at the joint by a permanent conductor-such as a short wire soldered to the respective railsin addition to the ordinary fish-plates, in order to insure the metallic continuity at such joints.

Let it be supposed that there is no locomotive or train either between or at the signalstations of the block. In that-the normalcondition the batteries M B and M13 nit each other, so that no current manifests itself on the line and thesignals display their safetydisks. It, now, a locomotive or train enters upon either insulated rail-section, the line will be connected to earth, so that currents will llow from the respective batteries over the line in opposite directions to the wire 2 or S, as the case may be, and thence to earth through the trucks of the locomotive or train. .l-loth signals will be operated synchronously so as to advance and display one-half of the surface of the dangendisks. As the locomotive or train continues advancing it passes from the insulated railsection at the end where it entered the block. The line is thus again disconnected from the earth and the flow of the currents is again interru ned, which causes a further movement of thesignals, and to such extent that now the whole surface of the danger-disks is displayed. On reaching the insulated rail-section at thel'arther end of thehlock the line is again connected to earth by the trucks of the locomotive or train and the signals are operated so as to withdraw one-half of the surface of the danger-disks and display one-half of the safety-disks; and, on linally passing out of the blocks the signals are again operated so as to wholly withdraw the danger-disks and display the satiety-disks in full. It will be observed that with this organizationof circuits and signals the latter notonlyindicate the presence of a locomotive or train in the block, but also whether it is at either of the signal-stations or between them.

The electric signal-block shown in Fig. 2 differs .t'rom that shown in Fig. 1 only in that op posite to the insulated rail-sections a and a there are two earth-wires, at and 4 and 5 and 5, respectively, and intermediate insulated rail-sections, a? and a", of sufficient length to prevent the tracks of a hand-car from making a connection from the insulated rail-sections (t or a to the grounded rails at either end of the opposite insulated rail-sections, a or a. In this case the metallic parts between the trucks of locomotives or trains are depended on to make part of a metallic connection from the wire 2 to earth-wires at or 4. or from the wire 3 t0 the earth-wires 5 or 5.

The electric signal block shown in Fig. 3

block shown in Figs. 1 and use of locals for connecting the line to earth,

differs from that shown in Fig. 1 in that the line is connected to earth by the action of local electro magnets marked 0 and 0, respectively, and operated by local batteries respectively marked L B and TA B, the circuits of which are normally open, and are adapted to be closed only by the trueksot a locomotive ortrain,butnotbythetrucksofahand-car. To these ends the insulated rail-sections are made only long enough to prevent the trucks of a hand-car from bridging them, while the trucks of a locomotive or train are able to bridge them so as to connect the wire 6 of the local battery with the wire .7 thereof through the locomotive or train trucks and the opposite rails A. The wire 2 is connected to the front contact-point of local electro-maguet O, and the earth-wire 4 to the armature-lever of said magnet. The wires 3 and 5 are similarly connected to the front contact-point and armaturelever ot' the electro-magnetC. The operation of the signals is precisely the same as in the I prefer the because they are not so easilyalfected by slight disturbances as the electro-niagnets of the line, so that in consequence of their use the operation oi the signals is made more certain and correct. It is advisable to insulate one or more rails A. next to the insulated railsections a and a, so that the wiresti and 7 cannot be connected cfcept by the trucks of locomotives or trains.

Fig. 4: illustrates an electric signal-block in which there are two signals,Dand Dflintermediate between the signals D and D atthe ends of the block, and in which the lineis connected to earth each time a locomotive or train passes any one of the signal-stations in the block by means of a local elcctro-magnet, the same as in the arrangen'ient shown in Fig. 3. local circuits are connected to the rails, as shown in Fig. 3, except the local circuit at the left-hand end of the block, the wire 60f which is connected to an insulated rail of one side of the track and the wire 7 to an insulated rail on the other side of the track, the adjacent ends of the respective insulated rails being separated so far that a hand-car cannot make a connection from one to the other. In the case of this local, the' metallic parts between the trucks of a locomotive or train are in part depended upon for connecting wires 6 and 7. The construction of the signals applicable to an electric signal-block having signal-stations (one or more)intermediate between the signals at the ends of the block differs from that oi the signals adapted to blocks containing but two signals, in requiring as many danger-disks as there are signals in the block. One form of such signal is illustrated in Figs. 5 and (i. It consists of a case,E,the front sideof which is provided with four circular openings, 0, 0, 0' and 6, arranged in an are at the upper end ot the box. The eenterof the arc of openings is coincident with the axis of a wheel, F, which is keyed to a horizontal shaft, G, and is ar- All the TIS ranged directly behind the frontside of the case, so that its rim will cover the openings therein. The ground color of the face of the rim of wheel F is white; but along a portion of the rim four danger-disks are painted of such size and so spaced that on starting the wheel from its normal position by the step-by-step motor, presently to be described, the first step will throw the first danger-disk so far as to cover the first 0pening-sayefrom one ed geto the eenter,the second step so far as to cover the whole opening 0, the third step so far the first danger-disk will cover the opening a from one edge to the center and the second danger-disk the opening 0 also from one edge to its center, the fourth step so far that the first danger-disk will cover the whole opening 0 and the second danger-disk the whole opening 0, and so on until by the last step all the openings in the front of ease E are first covered by the respective dangerdisks on wheel F, which continues to turn, however, and so far as to immediately again withdraw all the danger-disks from behind the openings in the front of the ease and cover them by the white surface on the rim of the wheel, indicating that the locomotive or train has passed out of the block, or safety. The wheel F is operated by a clock-work like motor, the action of which is controlled by an electromagnet, H, the helix of which constitutes part of the main line 1 of the signalbloek. The armature of this elect-romagnet is secured to a slide-bar, I, provided with suitable stops to limit its movements, and combined with a rectractile spring, which acts antagonistically to the magnet, The slide-bar is also provided with two fixed arms or pallets, i and i, which are, by the actions of the magnet and the retractile spring on the slidebar, brought alternately into position to stop the rotation of an arm, 7;, fast on shaft Kot' the motor, at every half-turn of said shaft. A pinion, K, on the shaft K is adapted to mesh into a segment of teeth of wheel G on shaft G.

In the present example, where there are four the pinion K and arm 7r serve only as a means for compelling the motor to turn the wheel F step by step. On account of this mode of opmotion by the motor. It the magnet remains charged longer than it takes the arm to make a half-turn it will be stopped by pallet i, to be released as soon as the armature is retracted, when the arm completes its rotation and is again stopped by pallet i. A locomotive or train may, however, pass a signal station so rapidly that the armature is retracted before the arm k reaches pallet 'i, in which case it will makeafull rotation without stoppage, the only difference in the operation of the signal being that the wheel F is moved a distance at one continuous impulse of the motor, which usually requires two separate impulses, each equal to half the duration of said continuous impulse. In either case it requires a make and break in the electric circuits to effect one entire rotation of arm 7:. The danger-disks may vary in color, so that by the color or colors displayed the position of the locomotive or train moving in a. known direction will be indicated as being at or passing a signal-station, or as being between any two signal-stations. At night the wheel F will be illuminated by a lamp, L, arranged in case E.

In order to compel the attendant to wind the motor daily, provide a contrivance which holds the doorgiving access to the lamp locked until the motor has been wound. In this case, where the motor is operated by a weight, this may be effected by a latch-lever, M, the-heavy end of which projects over the weight near the winding-shaft, while its lighter end is constructed with a hook adapted to engage akeeper on the inside of the door.

To unlatch the door the motor in ust be wound until the weight lifts the heavy end of the latch -lever, as will be readily understood. The winding-shaft projects through the case, so that the key may be applied from the outside.

in order that the operator or station-keeper may be andibly notified of the shiftings of the signals, I provide an electric alarm, N, which is rung each time the signals are shifted. The alarm is placed in a local circuit having two branches, in the manner shown, the pallet -i being one terminal of one of the branches, the pallet '17 one terminal of the other branch, and the arm is the other terminal common to both branches. The alarm rings when the circuit is opened. The pallets areinsnlatcd from tho slide-bar.

When a signal of this character is applied to an electric signal-block containing only two signals-one at each end'the case E will have but a single opening in front of wheel F, and the latter will be provided with a continuous series of suitably-spaced dangerdisks, and the wheel G will have teeth all around its periphery.

Themotor of the signal, whatever the latters construction, may be stopped and started by a local electro-magnet, the circuit of which is opened and closed by the operation of electromagnet H of the main line.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the closed main-line circuit, a battery at one end thereof, an equal but opposed battery at the other end thereof, and a normally-open connection from the main line to earth at each signalstation, adapted to be closed automatically by a locomotive or train.

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the closed main-line circuit, a battery at one end thereof, an equal but opposed battery at the other end thereof, a normallyopen connection from the main line to earth at each signal-station, and an independent local circuit. at each signal-station containing an electro-magnet for closing and opening said connection in consequence of a make and break of such local circuit effected by a'passing locomotive or train.

3. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the closed main-line circuit, a battery at one end thereof, an equal but opposed battery at the other end thereof, a norinallyopen connection from the main line to earth at each signal-station, and a step-by-step signal at each signal-station.

at. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the closed main-line circuit, a battery at one end thereof, an equal but opposed battery at the other end thereof, one or more step-by-step signals intermediate between the step-by-step signals at the ends of the circuit, and a normally-open connection from the main line to earth at each signal-station.

5. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the closed main-line circuit, a battery at one end thereof, an. equal but opposed battery at the other end thereof, a normallyopen connection from the main line to earth at each signal-station, and an insulated rail-section disposed, substantially as described, so that a hand-car cannot effectthe closure of said connection.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY (J. NICHOLSON.

Witnesses:

E. T. WALKER, B. E. J. EILs. 

